WFUV is the public radio station of New York’s Fordham University. It started broadcasting in 1947, and began playing rock ‘n’ roll in the sixties. Today, while WFUV plays a wide variety of music (including Celtic and jazz), it is best known for playing ‘adult alternative’ music. On Thursday, May 10th, WFUV held its fifth annual gala at Gotham Hall on Broadway, honoring newswoman Christiane Amanpour, venue & charity organizer Michael Dorf, musician Chris Isaak, and sports broadcaster Al Michaels, including dinner, press reception, awards presentation, charity auction, Joan Osbourne performance, and concert by Chris Isaak.
For press, the event began early (albeit not as early as were initially told), with a press reception and photo shoot of just about anybody involved with the gala that was there. 
Admittedly, it could all get a little exhausting for the photographers, but when else are you going to get a photo of veteran CBS Sunday Morning host (and Fordham alum) Charles Osgood holding a guitar, or Chris Isaak holding his dog? Isaak was particularly good at striking comedic poses for the photographers – it was he who got Osgood to hold an axe, plus did a great mock ‘no photos, you 
paparazzi!’ pose with WFUV’s Jill Welter (he also joked with Rhett Miller of The Old 97’s that, if there was an opening in The Old 97’s, Isaak would join, to make it ‘The New 97’s’).
And you also got to take photos of some acclaimed newspeople, including Osgood, voice of the 2012 Superbowl winners NY Giants Bob Papa, Nightline‘s Cynthia McFadden (in a striking red coat), and NBC Sports’ chief anchor and face of the upcoming (and many before) Olympics, Bob Costas (who knew how to do a pose or two of his own, and while surprisingly short in person, speaks with that deep, classic voice even away from the mike).
Click here for photos of Joan Osbourne performing in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
Click here for photos from the awards presentation in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery
But that was just the prelude for the actual awards, in the impressive main space of Gotham Hall. First Fordham alum Joan Osbourne performed The Band’s "The Weight", from her new covers album, Bring It On Home, to start things off in the main hall, just her and a man on synthesizer. Fordham President Revered Joseph M. McShane delivered a surprisingly funny speech – "I thought we were going to have a battle of the bands this evening; Georgian chant vs. Anglican chant…" (it’s always a bit of a surprise whenever anyone in a clerical collar is funny). The celebs in the crowd, including musicians like Miller, Maura & Pete Kennedy of The 
Kennedys, Nellie McKay, Tift Merritt, Suzzy Roche, and Citizen Cope, were pointed out. And there was a wonderful tribute video to legendary on-air personality Pete Fornatale, who helped get rock ‘n’ roll on WFUV in the early days, was a pioneer of FM rock (including bringing the world Buffalo Springfield, doing one of the first American interviews with Elton John, and co-hosting ‘Paul Simon Live in Central Park’), and much more.
While this was the fifth year of WFUV’s awards, it was the first for its new Community Service Award, given to Michael Dorf. Joan Osbourne introduced & formally gave the award to Dorf, retelling a story of standing next to Michael Stipe watching Patti Smith do a Bob Dylan tune at Dorf’s Knitting Factory (QRO venue review) – she also joked about not being invited to Dorf’s most recent tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. While Dorf’s bread-and-butter is 
regular venues (first Knitting Factory, now City Winery – QRO venue review), it was his charity work in the community that earned him the award, including both the for-charity tribute series at Carnegie Hall and founding Tribeca Hebrew and Downtown Arts Development.
One flaw in the night was that two of the four honorees weren’t actually there. Christiane Amanpour was on the West Coast to deliver the commencement address at USC (she was able to appear that night on also-on-the-West Coast Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson), while Al Michaels was at a family wedding. Usually one can’t shake the feeling whenever an award winner doesn’t show that he or she thinks they’re too good for the event (the 
following week, The Gaslight Anthem’s (QRO album review) Brian Fallon actually had a pretty funny speech about the whole thing, about seeing someone like Axel Rose send in a tape to an awards ceremony that basically says, "I’m honored by your award, but not honored enough to actually be there – this is going up in my bathroom…). However, both honorees not in attendance sent in heartfelt video acceptances (though being taped in their offices took a little away from both) – in particular Amanpour dedicating her 
award to Anthony Shadid, Marie Colvin, and Remi Ochlik, journalists who recently died while covering the violence in Syria. Also, when you’ve got Cynthia McFadden and Bob Costas standing in for you, can’t really be disappointed. Charles Osgood, for whom the Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcasting is named, introduced & presented to Amanpour (telling about how a young Amanpour asked him for advice, and he told her to change her name…), while Fordham alum Vin Scully, for whom the Lifetime Achievement in Sports Broadcasting award is named, introduced & presented to Michaels (also by video, but the legendary sports broadcaster is always busy this time of year, as he is the voice of the L.A. Dodgers and is universally regarded best baseball broadcaster ever).
Most importantly, Chris Isaak was there – and not just to accept an award. He did first accept the award with a hilarious speech, but you knew that he would. He had his own show earlier this century/millennium on Showtime, and even hosted an interview show on Biography Channel a few years ago. Isaak talked about the last time he won an award – a bathtub race in 
Stockton, California when he was sixteen, and that time there was talk that he cheated, but this award is "unsullied." He joked that he wasn’t in the same league as prior award winner like Paul Simon, Los Lobos, and the recently-passed Levon Helm (QRO Tribute) of The Band (who Osbourne had covered earlier), but that he guessed he was getting better – or, as his drummer put it, they were running out of people to give the award to. He also mentioned that his mother had once told him that there were people who were smarter than him, better-looking than him, probably better in every way, but he could succeed thank to having "a positive attitude, good penmanship, and a good deportment…"
Following dessert there was a live charity auction to raise money for the public WFUV, which included VIP tickets (including backstage passes) for Bonnie 
Raitt at Beacon Theatre that went for over five thousand dollars. But the real show was Chris Isaak, and what a showman he is. Decked out in a sparkly jacket, he walked and crooned through the crowd (including giving a lap dance) for one song, getting his bassist & guitarist to do 
synchronized dancing at one point, inviting some ladies (including Maura Kennedy & Jill Welter) on stage to rock out with his bassist, and even (faux) setting his pianist’s piano on fire. Isaak performed his big hits like "Wicked Game" and "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" (that’s when the ladies went on stage), but also classic tracks from his recent covers album, Beyond the Sun (an album recorded at the iconic Sun Records Studio of songs originally made there – and was nicely included in the gift bag), such as Johnny Cash’s "Ring of Fire", Jimmy Wages’ "Miss Pearl" ("There are a lot of great songs about warm-hearted women – this ain’t one of them…"), Elvis Presley’s "Can’t Help Falling In Love", and Jerry Lee Lewis’ "Great Balls of Fire" (that’s when the piano was faux set ablaze).
Today, WFUV plays the kind of music that yester-year’s hipster would listen to after he or she grew up, maybe had kids, but hasn’t given up and into the mainstream. If you’d been following R.E.M. since early their IRS years, if you’ve gone to see Wilco, if you’ve moved from Williamsburg to Park Slope – WFUV is for you. It’s also got news and sports, and has been a breeding ground for great broadcasting talent. And it knows how to throw a great awards gala.
